When the prince saw that he should have battle and that the cardinal was gone without any peace or truce making, and saw that the French king did set but little store by him, he said then to his men:  ’Now, sirs, though we be but a small company as in regard to the puissance of our enemies, let us not be abashed therefor; for the victory lieth not in the multitude of people, but whereas God will send it.  If it fortune that the journey be ours, we shall be the most honoured people of all the world; and if we die in our right quarrel, I have the king my father and brethren, and also ye have good friends and kinsmen; these shall revenge us.  Therefore, sirs, for God’s sake I require you do your devoirs this day; for if God be pleased and Saint George, this day ye shall see me a good knight.’  These words and such other that the prince spake comforted all his people.  The lord sir John Chandos that day never went from the prince, nor also the lord James Audley of a great season; but when he saw that they should needs fight, he said to the prince:  ’Sir, I have served always truly my lord your father and you also, and shall do as long as I live.  I say this because I made once a vow that the first battle that other the king your father or any of his children should be at, how that I would be one of the first setters on,[1] or else to die in the pain:  therefore I require your grace, as in reward for any service that ever I did to the king your father or to you, that you will give me licence to depart from you and to set myself thereas I may accomplish my vow.’  The prince accorded to his desire and said, ’Sir James, God give you this day that grace to be the best knight of all other,’ and so took him by the hand.  Then the knight departed from the prince and went to the foremost front of all the battles, all only accompanied with four squires, who promised not to fail him.  This lord James was a right sage and a valiant knight, and by him was much of the host ordained and governed the day before.  Thus sir James was in front of the battle ready to fight with the battle of the marshals of France.  In like wise the lord Eustace d’Aubrecicourt did his pain to be one of the foremost to set on.  When sir James Audley began to set forward to his enemies, it fortuned to sir Eustace d’Aubrecicourt as ye shall hear after.  Ye have heard before how the Almains in the French host were appointed to be still a-horseback.  Sir Eustace being a-horseback laid his spear in the rest and ran into the French battle, and then a knight of Almaine, called the lord Louis of Recombes, who bare a shield silver, five roses gules, and sir Eustace bare ermines, two branches of gules[2],—­when this Almain saw the lord Eustace come from his company, he rode against him and they met so rudely, that both knights fell to the earth.  The Almain was hurt in the shoulder, therefore he rose not so quickly as did sir Eustace, who when he was up and had taken his breath, he came to the other knight as he lay on the ground; but then five other knights of Almaine came on him all at once and bare him to the earth, and so perforce there he was taken prisoner and brought to the earl of Nassau, who as then took no heed of him; and I cannot say whether they sware him prisoner or no, but they tied him to a chare and there let him stand[3].